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Carolan

tbhdIn 2005 I had the great pleasure of compiling and editing a collection called The Blind Harper Dances:  54 Modern English Country Dances Set to Tunes by Turlough O’Carolan. It was wonderful to engage with people from many countries writing dances to Carolan’s tunes, and it was also great fun to learn more about that famous blind Irish harper, who lived from 1670 to 1738.

People keep writing dances! So here we have The Blind Harper carolanDances Again: More Modern English Country Dances Set to Tunes by Turlough O’Carolan. As you scroll down you will see the listings of dances, choreographers, and tunes with links to downloadable pdfs. Farther down the page are links to Carolan tunes recorded by the Pittsburgh-based ensemble Amarillis. Finally, at the very end, are some Useful Links as well as notes for musicians.

            The Blind Harper Dances Again
Title
Choreographer
Tune Title
Key
Meter
Formation
A Welcome Dream
Download PDF
Robert OlsonCarolan’s Welcome
Download Sheet Music
Am or Em 3/4LW DM
Abbot's Score
Download PDF
Trevor MonsonLuke Dillon
Download Sheet Music
D3/44C
Abigail’s Whimsey
Download PDF
Val MedveAbigail Judge
Download Sheet Music
Gm4/4LW DM
Anniversary Dance
Download PDF
Paula Kelley, Martha Kent, Val MedveKean O’Hara, first air
Download Sheet Music
D3/4LW DM
The Bonfire
Download PDF
Martha KentMrs. Judge, second air
Download Sheet Music
Em3/43C
Bumper Squire Jones
Download PDF

Cara KingThomas Morres Jones a/k/a Bumper Squire Jones
Download Sheet Music
D6/8LW DM
Captain Sudley
Download PDF
Val MedveCaptain Sudley, or, Carolan’s Dowry
Download Sheet Music
D4/43C
Devotion
Download PDF
Bob OlsonMiss Fetherston, or, Carolan’s Devotion
Download Sheet Music
Gm or Em3/43C
Elizabeth and Abigail
Download PDF
Martha KentMrs. Judge, first air
Download Sheet Music
E DorianStrathspey3C
Gavin’s Fancy
Download PDF
Greta Christina Carolan’s Welcome
Download Sheet Music
Am or Em3/4LW DM
Golden Celebrations
Download PDF
Dave TurnerOde to Whiskey
Download Sheet Music
D3/4 or 6/84C
The Gordian Knot\
Download PDF
Judith HansonThe Queen’s Dream
Download Sheet Music
Am3/4LW DM
Halfway ‘Round the World
Download PDF
Lise DyckmanPlanxty Drew (A music), Planxty Wilkinson (B)
Download Sheet Music
Gm6/8LW DM
Hey Girls
Download PDF
Judith HansonMrs. Farrell
Download Sheet Music
Gm6/83C
Lady Ann
Download PDF
Susan AmesséPlanxty Lady Wrixon
Download Sheet Music
Em6/8LW DM IMP
Moonlight in Monrovia
Download PDF

Cara KingCarolan’s Welcome
Download Sheet Music
Am or Em3/4LW DM IMP
Mrs. Maxwell Revisited
Download PDF
Val MedveMrs. Maxwell, first air
Download Sheet Music
D2/44C
The Shell House by the Lake
Download PDF
Antony HeywoodMiss Fetherston, or, Carolan’s Devotion
Download Sheet Music
Gm or Em3/4
Trip to Pasadena
Download PDF
Cara KingPlanxty Connor
Download Sheet Music
G6/83C LW
Trip to Worcester
Download PDF
Don & Diane BellPlanxty Hewlett
Download Sheet Music
D3/4LW DM

Amarillis (Maro Avakian, piano; Donna Isaac, violin; Allison Thompson, concertina, recorder, accordion) has been playing for English country dancing for more than 35 years. They are joined on this recording by guest artists Linda McNair, who plays harp on tracks 3, 5, 7, & 11, & Sue Pellant Moore, who plays oboe on tracks 8, 10, & 12, & high whistle on track 12.

If you like this music, please consider donating to the Country Dance & Song Society.

#Tune NameSuitable for. . .Key/strong>MeterTimes ThroughTiming
1Planxty Hewlett
Play Song
Download
Antony Heywood’s An Enchanted Place
or Judith Hanson’s Michael’s Waltz

D3/432 bars x 4Intro: 2 notes; 1st B at 0:25; 3:17 long
2Blind Mary
Play Song

Download

Ken Sheffield’s Irish MaryD2/432 bars x 4Intro: 2 bars; 1st B a 0:26; 2:52 long
3Kitty Magennis /
Bridget Cruise, 3rd air

Play Song

Download
Carolyn and Maurice Dunnett’s
Swirl of the Sea
Gm/G3/432 bars x 4 + 32 (4 bar bridge
from last round to a 32-bar free waltz)
Intro: 2 bars; 4:36 long
4Luke Dillon
Play Song

Download
Ken Sheffield’s Luke DillonD3/440 bars x 4Intro: 2 bars; 1st B at 0:37; 4:49 long
5Frank Palmer
Play Song

Download
Ken Sheffield’s Frank PalmerA6/832 bars x 7Intro: 2 bars; 1st B at 0:23; 5:11 long
6Mrs. Maxwell, 1st air
Play Song

Download
Dave Turner’s Stockton Ruby CelebrationsD2/432 bars x 3Intro: 2 bars; 1st B at 0:23; 2:45 long
7Bridget Cruise, 4th air
Play Song

Download
Ken Sheffield’s Bridget CruiseG3/432 bars x 3Intro: 2 bars; 1st B at 0:40; 4:02 long
8Abigail Judge
Play Song

Download
Fried de Metz Herman’s We Were So YoungGm4/432 bars x 7Intro: 2 notes; 1st B at 0:25; 4:41 long
9Captain Sudley, or,
Carolan’s Dowry


Play Song

Download
Anthony Heywood’s Exwood UnitedD4/432 bars x 6Intro 4 beats; 1st B at 0:25; 3:57 long
10Constantine Maguire
Play Song
Download
Dave Turner’s Hartburn VillageD2/432 bars x 7Intro: chord; 1st B at 0:22; 4:01 long
11Young Terence McDonough
Play Song
Download
Fried de Metz Herman’s Cat in the WindowGm3/432 bars x 6Intro 2 bars; 1st B at 0:38; 6:10 long
12Miss MacMurray
Play Song
Download
Charles Bolton’s OrlianaDm6/832 bars x 4Intro: 2 notes; 1st B at 0:28; 5:47 long
13Planxty Irwin
Play Song
Download
Ken Sheffield’s Colonel John Irwin,
John Wood’sFarewell to Bude, and Charles Bolton’s M
Mrs. Pike’s Maggot
G3/432 bars x 4Intro: 4 bars; 1ast B at 0:34; 3:32 long
14Captain O’Kane
Play Song
Download
Fried de Metz Herman’s Winter WaltzEm3/432 bars x 6Intro: 2 notes; 1st B at 0:28; 4:54 long

Recording Engineer: Harold Walls. Recorded at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

All arrangement © 2005 by Amarillis. Other recordings by Amarillis include Waltzing in the Trees and In-Step.

A Note for Musicians (but Callers and Dancers should Read this too!)

Carolan’s tunes weren’t written down until almost 100 years after his death, so we don’t know how he actually played them (though he was not considered a particularly proficient performer). The folk process continues working on his tunes. Consider the chords given as a suggestion—feel free to add or delete, or to use one set of chords the first time through a phrase and a different set the second time. Likewise, you can experiment some with the melodies: add trills and ornaments, shape runs differently, add or remove the dotted notes. Make these tunes your own.

Finally note that Carolan played a harp that did not have sharping levers—the little levers at the top of every string that harpers can flick even as they play to sharpen or flatten a given note.  Harper Ellen Tepper reminded me that Carolan’s harp was tuned in the key of C, meaning that he could play easily in C, Am and D-Dorian (all the white notes from D to D on the piano). Ellen tells me that Carolan could have handled accidentals by tuning them in another octave and jumping up there for them (“Scordaturo tuning”), but we just don’t know if he did. Over time, accidentals have crept into various versions of his tunes. Some I like; many I do not. Decide for yourself!

See These Links:

Donal O’Sullivan’s definitive listing and transcriptions of Carolan’s tunes on The Old Music Project.

Captain Francis O’Neill’s Music of Ireland (1850 tunes! The Carolan tunes are not quite as reliable as O’Sullivan’s but still interesting). This is also housed on The Old Music Project website.

In April 2020, harper Anastasia Sergeeva organized the Carolan Lockdown Challenge, a project in which harpers around the world were randomly assigned a Carolan tune to record and post on YouTube. See harper Corrina Hewat playing #41 Planxty Drew.  From this you can find more!

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